Sporting KC’s Roger Espinoza helps organize aid for hurricane-torn homeland of Honduras
.JPG "In this Nov. 5, 2020 file photo, a pregnant woman is carried out of an area flooded by water brought by Hurricane Eta in Planeta, Honduras. Thousands of homes were damaged and the infamous gang violence has not relented in Honduras, where some residents said gangs were charging a tax to boats trying to rescue people from flooded neighborhoods.")
Roger Espinoza used to hear about the difference pro athletes can make. How they can use their platforms to promote change and raise awareness of important issues.
That was true when he was a boy growing up in Honduras, as well as later, once he’d moved to the U.S at age 12.
No longer is Espinoza simply hearing about the positive effects athletes can have on society. He’s now among those making a difference, and he’s doing it for his homeland.
Espinoza, Sporting Kansas City’s veteran midfielder, is leading a group of other Honduran Major League Soccer players who are providing aid to Honduras in the wake of hurricanes Eta and Iota.
“I always heard players, when I was younger, that being on this platform that you’re on right now as an athlete gives you the ability to do that,” Espinoza said. “I’ve tried to use it as much as I can to do a positive thing.
“That was the main goal when I found out. ‘Hey, I can change this, do a little bit of this.’ Fortunately, we’re all humans and it’s very difficult to do it all alone.”
Hurricane Eta made landfall Nov. 3, causing approximately $5 billion worth of damage to Honduras. About two weeks later, Hurricane Iota — just the second Atlantic hurricane to reach Category 5 strength in the month of November — washed across the same area of Central America, causing mass destruction to an already reeling nation.
The pair of hurricanes have left more than 3 million Hondurans homeless, with much of the damage and crises occurring in the northern part of the country. Homes and businesses have been completely destroyed, and entire regions have been flooded, destroying the livelihoods of many Hondurans.
Today, Espinoza has a pair of uncles in Honduras, a nation about the same size as Virginia and a little over half the size of Kansas.
“Honduras is a very small country and you’re very close to each other, so anything that happens around the city affects everybody, either emotionally or economically,” Espinoza said. “And it’s because all the roads are shut down, everything is flooded — stores and everything.”
Espinoza rallied some fellow Honduran MLS players to take part in a video created by Sporting KC. It urges people to come forward and donate. Those who participated in the video include Maynor Figueroa and Boniek Garcia (Houston Dynamo), Bryan Acosta (FC Dallas), Danilo Acosta (LA Galaxy), Brayan Beckeles (Nashville), Douglas Martinez (Real Salt Lake), Andy Najar (LAFC) and Romell Quioto (Montreal).
Espinoza and his countrymen have focused much of their effort on three organizations:
- Humanity and Hope United Foundation, which partners with organizations like International Hope Builders to provide resources for communities to rebuild housing and other necessities. Espinoza previously worked with the Hope Builders in Honduras in 2015.
- Operación Frijol: One of the main concerns right now for Espinoza and Hondurans is stopping the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. Many people left homeless are stuck in shelters devoid of COVID-19 precautions.
- Food for the Poor: Espinoza and Sporting KC worked together to bring Food for the Poor on board. This U.S.-based non-profit has the logistics needed to collect food in America and ship it to Honduras in containers.
Espinoza understands the pain many in Honduras are enduring. He moved to the U.S. in 1998, just months before Hurricane Mitch’s arrival in Honduras, but said he witnessed devastating tropical rainfall and subsequent flooding.
He said the country has reeled from a cycle of catastrophic weather events.
“In Honduras, unfortunately, with the hurricanes that hit early and in the past decades, that created very low resources in the country and that made it very difficult for it to get back on its feet,” he said. “Every time Honduras is getting right there, a hurricane comes by.
“I’m hoping this doesn’t happen in many, many decades and Honduras can finally get their economy going ... and become a country that people want to visit and be healthy.”
Even as Sporting KC plays host to the San Jose Earthquakes Sunday in the MLS Western Conference quarterfinals, part of Espinoza’s heart will remain with his homeland.
“At this moment, it was the perfect moment to gather the league and Sporting PR department, and I’m glad that everybody has been very helpful about it,” Espinoza said. “Media have been very interested and that can only be a positive for the help and development of Honduras.”
This story was originally published November 20, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Sporting KC’s Roger Espinoza helps organize aid for hurricane-torn homeland of Honduras."